Let’s get this out of the way: There’s still a while to go before you will see Tiger Woods tee it up on the PGA Tour again. Not only is Woods coming off a personal incident in which he was arrested for driving under the influence of multiple prescription drugs (he recently completed a “private intensive program” to help him with that problem), he still continues to rehabilitate a nagging back that has kept him out of regular competition since 2013.

But none of that changes how golf fans feel when they get the chance to see him hit the ball, which is exactly what happened Thursday afternoon when Woods tweeted that he has officially been given the all-clear by his doctor to begin pitching.

Woods, 41, has not announced when he hopes to return to professional golf, but you can bet he has the 2018 Masters circled on his calendar as a target date. Any time earlier — or frankly, any time at all — would just be gravy.